User Services Platform

USP is ...

User Services Platform (USP) is the Broadband Forum's integrated, standardized way to implement, deploy and manage all aspects of home network, entertainment and computing resources (such as IoT).

USP Consists of ...

It consists of a data model, architecture, and communications protocol to transform consumer broadband networks into a platform for the development, deployment, and support of broadband enabled applications and services.

USP Enables ...

It allows a vast number of suppliers to integrate their products into provider service offerings and gives providers the freedom to bring a rich set of new services to their customers.

Connected Home

The BBF's User Services Platform (USP) is enabling the journey to the connected home. Read more.

Let customer support monitor and troubleshoot connected devices, services, and home network links

Easily map the home network to control service quality and monitor threats

Securely control IoT, smart home, and smart networking functions locally or from the Cloud

Enable multi-tenant (i.e., multi-stakeholder) management and control

Who benefits?

Consumers

USP allows consumer to purchase and start using smart home and other network enabled devices or services as easily as buying an app for their smart phone.

Manufacturers and Developers

USP allows application and device developers to treat the end-user's assets as a platform to build limitless numbers of apps and specialized devices, and securely manage the lifecycle of those products and services.

Broadband and Application Service Providers

USP allows broadband and application service providers to offer an endless number of applications to consumers hungry for advanced broadband and mobile services, and empowers different stakeholders to work together to ensure a seamless end-user experience.

How does USP work?

USP is a framework of agents and controllers that interact in real-time. These allow applications to manipulate end-user devices and virtual services using a standardized data model.

Service elements (like lights, network functions, Wi-Fi, firmware banks) may be local to the Agent or proxied

Applications can include service provider provisioning and management systems (like today’s TR-069 ACS), but with multi-tenant capability

Applications can exist on end user devices or in the cloud to provide user interfaces and app stores

Agents and Controllers can act together as part of an automated smart home or intelligent buildings system

The natural evolution of TR-069

The consumer electronics industry needs a way to bootstrap, upgrade, manage and monitor this brave new world of connected devices. When the Broadband Forum created the CPE WAN Management Protocol this same need existed for home gateways and other Customer Premises Equipment. This flagship of the Broadband Forum has of the writing of this document reached over 800 million subscribers worldwide. This provides the perfect opportunity to leverage the expertise and experience gained with CWMP including:

Extending and improving upon well understood proxy scenarios to cover any device using any protocol

Reusing and expanding the robust Device:2 data model (link) that accurately models network services and interfaces for connected devices, and bringing together standard models for IoT objects into one place

Leveraging what we’ve learned with years of use and millions of deployed devices for the new world of IoT and virtualized services

Creating a new user experience

Until now, there has been no unified, common approach to securely deploy and manage network aware consumer electronics, entertainment, IoT, and other services made possible by today's connected world. The only way for consumers and small business to create a customized experience has been via expensive hand crafted systems available to a tiny minority.

Service Providers of all kinds have been unable to provide new value-added services for broadband users that people not only want but are so freely available on today’s smartphones. This has effectively isolated both the home and the home user. The BBF's User Services Platform(USP) addresses these issues.